Outlook recognizes several associates yearly for embodying our organization’s core values and culture. This year, it was a win for all of us to hear that Mortel “Mo” Crawford is our 2025 Associate of the Year. Mo’s journey is one of resilience, determination, and finding joy in every chapter of life. From overcoming life-altering challenges to building a career and life full of passion and purpose, Mo inspires everyone he meets. We’re proud to share his story, a powerful reminder of how your mindset can change your life.
Facing the Unthinkable & Finding a New Way Forward
In 2019, Mortel began working at Mama’s Kitchen after earning his degree in culinary arts. However, small businesses, particularly restaurants, faced significant challenges during that time, and Mo found himself seeking a new career opportunity. That’s when he joined Outlook Nebraska as a temporary associate on our manufacturing floor to help meet the rising demand for toilet paper due to the pandemic. Mo was an essential part of our team during that busy year, and we quickly recognized that he was someone we wanted to keep on board. Finding a hard worker is important, but discovering someone who can brighten a room and improve the atmosphere just by being himself is rare.
Mo’s journey with vision loss began when he was 24 years old. After a long day laying sod at work, he often enjoyed a typical evening hanging out with friends and playing dominoes. On one of those evenings, he decided to run to the liquor store. As he exited the store, gunshots rang out, believed to have come from a green car, but Mo couldn’t see where they originated. Tragically, what he witnessed in the parking lot that night would be the last thing he ever saw.
Mo woke up about a month later in a rehabilitation center, unable to walk, talk, or see. Although losing any of these abilities was devastating, the most excruciating part for him was the shock therapy treatment used to help him regain his voice. He endured several months of rehabilitation, undergoing a series of electric shocks, each session feeling like a trip to hell. Eventually, he could whisper, and with time, he regained his ability to talk. Unfortunately, regaining his eyesight wasn’t an option.
Mo’s Journey to Independence & Culinary Success
“I sat around the house for at least a year, angry at the world, wondering why this had to happen to me.”
Mo had gone from being fully sighted to completely blind without any preparation, forcing him to start fresh. While attending monthly counseling sessions with his counselor from the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired was a good start, going to their training center in Lincoln would be a more beneficial option. Although he was just becoming comfortable in his own home, the thought of being “dropped” at an unfamiliar location in Lincoln for cane travel training was daunting. The push to face uncomfortable situations made Mo realize he had the strength to make a comeback.
Before he knew it, he made trips to the local grocery store and hailed cabs back to the training center faster than any of his peers. With a mix of sounds, smells, and ingredients he gathered from the store, Mo began serving up crowd-pleasing meals. People lined up when he announced his special of the day over the intercom, and his food quickly disappeared.
After completing his training in Lincoln, Mo started taking culinary classes. He laughed as he recalled how Metropolitan Community College had likely never worked with a blind culinary student before his arrival. His vision loss made everyone nervous, as the college feared it might be dangerous. It took a combination of Mo learning the ropes and his instructors adapting their teaching methods to help him complete his degree. It was a new challenge for everyone involved.
During that semester, students were challenged to create an omelet while wearing sleep shades. Mo confidently claimed he was the top chef in that competition, producing a better omelet than the head chef. To this day, breakfast remains his favorite meal to cook. The combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns is always mouth-watering.
Finding Joy in All Life Has to Offer
Before losing his eyesight, he hadn’t experienced the pride of creating something with his own two hands. He learned that careful preparation and precise measurements were essential for producing sturdy and stable objects. Mo hopes to one day have his garage filled with tools to handcraft furniture and other creations. There is no doubt that whatever he sets out to achieve, he will succeed.
We have observed him applying the same logic at Outlook during recreational and sporting events. If the initial technique is correct, it leads to success in adaptive sports such as axe throwing, bowling, beep baseball, paddleboarding, CrossFit, and even mechanical bull riding. These activities are Mo’s favorite part of working at Outlook. On weekends, you might find him tandem bike riding, taking a cemetery tour on Ollie the Trolley, or floating down the river on an innertube. Mo enjoys participating in Outlook’s Christmas parties, town hall meetings, and annual company retreats. It is truly a pleasure to have him at any event.
After facing and overcoming various challenges, Mo has much to be proud of. He has learned to be comfortable in public, navigate the city, earn a degree, and thrive in a new job, regardless of the position. Talking about his family brings him the greatest joy. Over the past year, he has reconnected with his son’s mother, gotten engaged, become the primary income earner, and provided a home and car for his fiancée and 15-year-old son. Three months before he was shot and lost his vision, Mo had the opportunity to see his newborn son, Mortel “MJ” Junior, for the first time. Mo’s fiancé and son have their own health challenges, but with him in their lives, they have a great example of how to keep their heads up and push forward. Congratulations Mo!
“Make sure you tell them MJ is taller than me now. He was just a premie when he was born. I could hold his whole body in my hand. Now he’s strong and bigger than me.”
Whether taking on a new hobby, building a life with his family, or simply brightening a coworker’s day with humor, Mo reminds us that life’s greatest moments are often found in how we respond to adversity. We are grateful to have Mo as part of the Outlook family. His impact reaches far beyond his daily work; it lives in the spirit of every associate, volunteer, and program participant he encounters. Congratulations again, Mo, on being named our 2025 Associate of the Year.
To learn more about Outlook Nebraska and how you can be part of our mission, please fill out our contact form.
